Anchorage system and method of use

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to marine anchorage systems and their use. The anchorage system is a mooring spud having a detachable shoe that is fastened to a mooring cable leading from the spud shoe to a winch, having an adjustable drag, on board the vessel. By means of drawing in and paying out the mooring cable the vessel may be moved in an accurately traced path so as to cover a marine floor in a manner consistent with precision dredging operations. A modification includes a shoe provided with a vibrator to effect deeper penetration of the shoe into the marine floor.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Carl C. Hart! 14 Spring Lane, Framilgham, Mass. 01701 [21] Appl. No. 865,103 [22] Filed Oct. 9,1969 [45] Patented Aug. 10, 1971 [54] ANCHORAGE SYSTEM AND METHOD OF USE 7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 61/465, 37/73, 61/53, 114/206 [51] Int. Cl 1163b 21/00 [501 Field of Search 114/206; 115/9; 37/73; 61/46, 46.5, 53

[56] References Cited UNTIED STATES PATENTS 2,881,591 4/1959 Reeve 61/465 3,003,454 10/1961 Shatoskaetal 3,118,417 1/1964 Stanwick ABSTRACT: The invention relates to marine anchorage systems and their use. The anchorage system is a mooring spud having a detachable shoe that is fastened to a mooring cable leading from the spud shoe to a winch, having an adjustable drag, on board the vessel. By means of drawing in and paying out the mooring cable the vessel may be moved in an accurately traced path so as to cover a marine floor in a manner consistent with precision dredging operations. A modification includes a shoe provided with a vibrator to efiect deeper penetration of the shoe into the marine floor.

Patented Aug. 10, 1971 FIG.|

CARL G. HARD ATTORNEY ANCHORAGE SYSTEM AND METHOD OF USE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention In the field of marine research and operations it is important to have a relatively stable working platform that is capable of remaining at the operations site during foul weather. The spud anchor is a well-known system for maintaining such a stable working platform.

2. Description of the Prior Art The spud anchor, which is a rigid and ordinarily pointed rod, is driven into the marine floor by a rack and pinion device aboard the marine platform. Such a device is useful only where water conditions are calm enough not to destroy the rigid structure, and would definitely preclude the use of such a device in any unsheltered ocean locations. US. Pat. No. 2,881,591 issued to .l. H. Reeve on 12 Mar. 1956 discloses a detachable anchoring system; however, such a system does not provide the stability of a spud anchor system. The problems of stability and controlled movement during unfavorable marine conditions are solved by this invention. In addition, this anchorage system makes possible a high speed and flexible dredging method that could not be conducted with the anchorage systems of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention consists of a mooring spud having a detachable shoe connected to a winch, having an adjustable drag, on board a marine craft by means of a mooring cable. The novelty exits in the detachable spud shoe and the improved method of dredging made possible by the use of the detachable spud shoe in an anchorage system.

It is an object of the invention to provide an anchorage system capable of sustaining a stable platform in a marine environment and also capable of maintaining seaworthiness during sea conditions that would destroy a static platform.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an anchorage system such that no anchor line is required on the seaward side of the marine platform.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide an accurate and high-speed method of marine dredging.

It is another object of the invention to provide a method of dredging that will enable the dredge to move in and out of a channel without hindering dredging operations.

- BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view of a dredge using two of the detachable spud mooring devices;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view, partly in section, of the detachable spud shoe and spud;

FIG. 3 is a view showing the spud shoe and the spud in connected condition joined by the retractable pins; and

. FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the spud shoe, showing a vibrating device within the shoe.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The preferred embodiment of the invention is incorporated into a dredge l in FIG. I, which is anchored by detachable spud shoes 2 and 4. Attached to spud shoe 2 is a flexible cable 6 which is secured to and leads from the spud shoe 2 through bore 25 in spud 8 to a powered winch on board the dredge. Similarly attached to spud shoe 4 is a flexible cable 7 which leads from spud shoe 4 through a bore 25' in the spud 9 to a powered winch l0. Spuds 8 and 9 and their respective spud shoes 2 and 4, when connected, may be raised and lowered, by conventional means, through the guide members 11 and 12 secured to the dredge so as not to extend below the draft of the dredge, for example, when under way.

Referring to FIG. 2, the spud 8 has three bores 14, 16, and 18 for retractable pins l5, l7, and 19 which fit into similar bores 20, 22, and 24 in the spud shoe 2. The retractable pins are lowered into and withdrawn from the spud shoes by cables 26, 27, and 28. Spud 8 also has a bore 25 for the flexible cable 6 which is attached to the spud shoe 2 and the powered winch 10. The top of the spud shoe 2 has a seat provided. with bores 20, 22, and 24 such that the spud 8, which has retractable pins 15, 17 and I9 projecting therefrom, will join with spud shoe 2 in only one position, as shown in FIG. 3. This-male-female connection will provide rigidity to the structure when such rigidity is desired and it will ensure proper alignment of the retractable pins l5, l7, and 19 with their respective bores 20, 22, and 24 in the spud shoe 2.

Referring to FIG. 4, spud shoe 2 may be used to inclose a vibrator 30 which will provide additional spud shoe penetration by setting the frequency of the vibrator for pile or penetrometer driving. Such an additional capability would be accomplished by combining an electrical cable 3] with flexible cable 6 passing through bore 25 and connecting to vibrator 30.

Referring again to FIG. I, the details of spud shoe 2, flexible cable 6, spud 8, and powered winch 10 are identical to spud shoe 4, flexible cable 7, spud 9, and powered winch 10', respectively.

In operation the dredge I would move to a location and drive the rigidly attached spud 8 and spud shoe 2 into a marine floor. Then the retractable pins l5, l7, and 19 would be withdrawn into their respective bores l4, l6, and 18 in the spud 8 at which time the only restraining force on the dredge I would be the flexible cable 6. The dredge I would then move down range and drive spud shoe 4 in an identical manner. At this time, the dredge would be free to move up and down range in a precise manner by alternately drawing in and paying out flexible cables 6 and 7 with the powered winches I0 and I0. If the channel being dredged were needed for other marine traffic the dredge 1 could pay out both flexible cables 6 and 7 thereby moving out of the channel. The dredge I could quickly return to its working position by drawing in the flexible cables 6 and 7 to their initial position.

lclaim:

I. A mooring system for use with a floating marine platform having winch means and means for adjustably supporting said mooring system, said mooring system comprising a plurality of mooring posts for anchoring the floating marine platform, each of said mooring posts comprising a pair of separable members configured on one surface thereof for mating relation in a predetermined orientation, guide means in each one of said pair of separable members for rigidly interconnecting said members, means for controlling said guide means to selectively effect joining and separating said pair of members at said mating surfaces, flexible means secured to a first one of said pair of members and freely passing through a second one of said pair of members for interconnecting said members when said members are separated through operation of the winch means for mooring purposes, and means securing said second one of said pair of members to said platform.

2. A mooring system as recited in claim I wherein the first one of said pair of members is adapted to be driven into a marine floor, said first member including a chamber, driving means for penetrating a marine floor located within said chamberand including a portion projecting beyond the end of said second member opposite the mating surface thereof for penetrating a marine floor and means for energizing said drivrng means.

3. The system as recited in claim I wherein said flexible means comprises:

a. a cable affixed at one end to the first one of said pair of members and at the other end to a reel aboard the marine platform;

b. said second one of said pair of members having an axial bore through which said cable passes as it is paid out or t taken in by said reel; and

c. means for driving said reel whereby the marine platform is moved relative to an anchored position of said first one of each pair of members.

4. The system as recited in claim I wherein said guide means comprises:

a. a plurality of connecting pins;

b. said second one of said pair of members constituting a spud and having a plurality of axial bores parallel to the longitudinal axis of said spud in which a portion of the length of each of said connecting pins is received;

c. said first one of said pair of members constituting a spud shoe and having a plurality of axial bores in which a portion of the length of each of said connecting pins is received when said spud an spud shoe are interconnected to form a rigid entity capable of accepting a shear load;

d. means for axially aligning the bores in said spud and said spud shoe; and

. means for controlling the movement of said connecting pins for selectively engaging and disengaging said connecting pins and said bores in said spud shoe.

5. A system as recited in claim 2 in which said drive means comprises a vibrator and power means for operating said vibrator.

6. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein said mating surfaces of said pair of members of each of said mooring posts has an S-shaped configuration in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of said mooring posts whereby the S-shaped surface of said pair of members may be joined in only one angular orientation.

7. A method of dredging which comprises:

a. positioning a floating marine dredge in a predetermined location;

b. supporting a plurality of mooring posts each having a longitudinally separable spud and spud shoe from said floating marine dredge;

c. providing a flexible cable connection secured to each said spud shoe and the free end thereof passing through said spud;

d. securing the free end of said flexible connection to said floating marine dredge;

e. slidably securing said spud to said floating marine dredge;

f. driving a first mooring post into a marine floor from said dredge;

g. disconnecting said spud shoe from said spud of said first mooring post;

h. moving said dredge to a second location simultaneously maintaining the cable connection from said spud shoe through said spud to said floating marine dredge;

i. driving a second mooring post into a marine floor from said dredge;

j. disconnecting the spud shoe of said second mooring post from the spud thereof and maintaining the cable connection from the spud shoe through the spud to said dredge; and

k. moving said dredge in a controlled manner by alternately drawing in and paying out the cables extending from the dredge and connected to said first and second spud shoes.

mg UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,597,931 Dated August 10 1971 Inventor(s) Carl H r It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 1 line 1, after the title 'ANCHORAGE SYSTEM AND METHOD OF USE", add the followingparagraph:

'The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.--

Signed and Sealed this 7th day of March 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLET0HER ,JR ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

1. A mooring system for use with a floating marine platform having winch means and means for adjustably supporting said mooring system, said mooring system comprising a plurality of mooring posts for anchoring the floating marine platform, each of said mooring posts comprising a pair of separable members configured on one surface thereof for mating relation in a predetermined orientation, guide means in each one of said pair of separable members for rigidly interconnecting said members, means for controlling said guide means to selectively effect joining and separating said pair of members at said mating surfaces, flexible means secured to a first one of said pair of members and freely passing through a second one of said pair of members for interconnecting said members when said members are separated through operation of the winch means for mooring purposes, and means securing said second one of said pair of members to said platform.
 2. A mooring system as recited in claim 1 wherein the first one of said pair of members is adapted to be driven into a marine floor, said fIrst member including a chamber, driving means for penetrating a marine floor located within said chamber and including a portion projecting beyond the end of said second member opposite the mating surface thereof for penetrating a marine floor and means for energizing said driving means.
 3. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said flexible means comprises: a. a cable affixed at one end to the first one of said pair of members and at the other end to a reel aboard the marine platform; b. said second one of said pair of members having an axial bore through which said cable passes as it is paid out or taken in by said reel; and c. means for driving said reel whereby the marine platform is moved relative to an anchored position of said first one of each pair of members.
 4. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said guide means comprises: a. a plurality of connecting pins; b. said second one of said pair of members constituting a spud and having a plurality of axial bores parallel to the longitudinal axis of said spud in which a portion of the length of each of said connecting pins is received; c. said first one of said pair of members constituting a spud shoe and having a plurality of axial bores in which a portion of the length of each of said connecting pins is received when said spud and spud shoe are interconnected to form a rigid entity capable of accepting a shear load; d. means for axially aligning the bores in said spud and said spud shoe; and e. means for controlling the movement of said connecting pins for selectively engaging and disengaging said connecting pins and said bores in said spud shoe.
 5. A system as recited in claim 2 in which said drive means comprises a vibrator and power means for operating said vibrator.
 6. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein said mating surfaces of said pair of members of each of said mooring posts has an S-shaped configuration in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of said mooring posts whereby the S-shaped surface of said pair of members may be joined in only one angular orientation.
 7. A method of dredging which comprises: a. positioning a floating marine dredge in a predetermined location; b. supporting a plurality of mooring posts each having a longitudinally separable spud and spud shoe from said floating marine dredge; c. providing a flexible cable connection secured to each said spud shoe and the free end thereof passing through said spud; d. securing the free end of said flexible connection to said floating marine dredge; e. slidably securing said spud to said floating marine dredge; f. driving a first mooring post into a marine floor from said dredge; g. disconnecting said spud shoe from said spud of said first mooring post; h. moving said dredge to a second location simultaneously maintaining the cable connection from said spud shoe through said spud to said floating marine dredge; i. driving a second mooring post into a marine floor from said dredge; j. disconnecting the spud shoe of said second mooring post from the spud thereof and maintaining the cable connection from the spud shoe through the spud to said dredge; and k. moving said dredge in a controlled manner by alternately drawing in and paying out the cables extending from the dredge and connected to said first and second spud shoes. 